Obi-Wan Kenobi's Journal
by Emii Fairhall
Summary: The Emperor is dead and Luke has gone back to the old hovel Obi-Wan occupied for nineteen years on Tatooine in an attempt to research his beginnings. Read Obi-Wan's personal thoughts and follow Luke on a journey to discover his lost family.
1. Chapter 1

[Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, LucasArts does.]

[Sorry guys, but it's unlikely I'm going to continue after the nine chapters I'm putting up. It's a great story and concept and I've very much enjoyed writing from Obi-Wan's point of view, but Luke's part is getting tiring. I might come back to it sometime, but it'll likely only be from Obi-Wan's POV.]

[As always, I welcome reviews, criticisms and compliments. You have no idea how amazing it feels to read your reviews of my work. Even if you don't like it, tell me what you don't like about it. I'll be able to grow as a writer with every new opinion.]

I walked out of the hot twin suns of Tatooine into Old Obi-Wan Kenobi's hovel. It was still there, just a little more dilapidated than I remembered from my childhood. I'd taken some time after the Empire had been defeated to reflect on the past and my teachers in particular. I looked around the small building. Even though Obi-Wan spent the better part of nineteen years here, or so Uncle Owen told me, there was little to tell his story.

Sparse furniture and personal items populated the room. A locker behind everything caught my eye. I walked over to it and forced it open. It was stiff and old, but opened easily. I rummaged around inside. There were mostly old datapads that had lost all power. Suddenly, a beep stopped me. I moved everything aside and found a datapad that still had a few months of power left. I frowned: it had been a long time since Obi-Wan died and longer still since he'd been here.

I grabbed it and looked at the screen.

**Journal**

was the only word I saw. I pressed a button and several entries opened. I flicked through, and stopped dead. One of the entries was dated yesterday.

I opened it and read through it:

**They say that in death, a man sees his life flash before his eyes. I've died and experienced it first-hand: it doesn't work like that.**

**My life has been of service to my galaxy and to peace. I have been there to learn; to teach; to be guarded and to protect. Ever since I was a very young boy, I knew that there would come a day when I would lay down my weapon and gracefully accept defeat. I would fall into my fate as though there were loving arms ready to catch me. I would be content in the knowledge that behind me I left a galaxy protected by those taught by smarter and stronger beings than me as well as myself. A man I trusted with the fate of the entire galaxy. When Anakin became my Padawan, I thought he would be that man.**

**I was nearly two years old when they came for me. A pair of Jedi, there to bring me to the Temple to be trained to protect the galaxy and its inhabitants. My mother and father were content to know that I would be of service to the galaxy, but that didn't stop the extreme sadness erupting from them as I was led away from them. That was the last I ever saw of my family. I then turned to the Temple and its residents as my home and family.**

**My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi and I am a Jedi. My master was Qui-Gon Jinn, and my apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. Although I am no longer the wide-eyed student, I am still learning. Things Qui-Gon told me before his death stay with me. I am yet to find the meaning in some of them and I suppose I will never fully understand his wise words.**

**While I was still a Padawan, one of my closest friends was a girl a few years younger than I, called Siri Tachi. However, Siri and I did as we weren't supposed to: we fell in love. We didn't notice until we were really alone. The two of us and our masters were charged with the protection of a boy called Taly Fry and his parents from a gang of bounty hunters. We were split up from our masters and had to keep Taly safe as well as find a way back to Coruscant. Our ship crashed and we would have been glad to have died there, because we would have been together. Afterwards, Qui-Gon guessed at my feelings and there's no hiding anything from Master Yoda. The two of them gave us a choice: stay together and leave the Order; or forget about our feelings and continue within the Order. I was angry at Qui-Gon for giving me that choice when he didn't know if he could have made that choice with his love, Tahl. But he never really had time to: Tahl died before their love was realised at the Temple. Of course, Siri, being the stronger of us, decided that the Jedi was too important for both of us and we chose to ignore our feelings.**

**When I took Anakin as my Padawan Learner, as was the dying wish of Qui-Gon, I realised just how hard Qui-Gon worked. I realised that you never really know for certain what to say, what to keep back. It's more that you do what you feel is right at the time, and you can never really be sure that you're doing the right thing. At the beginning of our journey together, Anakin and I weren't so close: we'd both been through quite a rough time and had difficulty adjusting to new life. I tried to hurry the trust and camaraderie that came so easily with Qui-Gon, but I'd forgotten just how long it took to earn it.**

**From the beginning, Anakin was arrogant, sure of himself, overconfident and eager to blurt out his opinions and feelings. Quite the opposite of me at the time and he had his loving mother, Shmi, to thank for that. But now that I look back on my childhood, I see that we weren't so different after all, except that it was quite difficult for me to say my personal feelings aloud. I tried to be a good mentor for him, until I realised he needed me as a friend and as a brother as well. Once we were past that, we became brothers. We fought side-by-side for nearly thirteen years; we spoke unhindered; and I knew that our bond was limitless. Unfortunately, it didn't last.**

**Our bond was tested time and time again by the Clone Wars. When I exiled myself, I felt angry at Anakin for not telling that he'd married Padme and that they'd later fallen pregnant, but he knew that I was bound to be on the Council. He couldn't trust me with that and I wish we could have changed things. I wish Anakin had never met Palpatine and I wish that our bond was stronger than it was, but wishing doesn't change anything. But if I'd known that Palpatine would have a chance to corrupt my brother, I would never have let Anakin get so close to him. But 'what-ifs' and 'could-haves' are not a part of a Jedi's life.**

**I knew when he fell that he would fight to the death if he had to. And I knew very well that he was an excellent fighter. I knew better than anyone else: I'd taught him. It very nearly broke my heart when he challenged and attacked me, but if I didn't fight back, Luke would never have had his chance to redeem his father. Not until the battle was over, did I allow myself the tears that had been bursting to fall ever since he drew his lightsaber against me.**

**"You were the Chosen One!" I yelled, more at myself than at him. "You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them! You were to bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness! You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you." I found it difficult to yell through my tears, but I still shouted. When I was finished, Anakin was nothing more than a rotting, burning corpse on the ground. The new Vader rose from my brother when Sidious rescued him. But he didn't kill me and his love for Padme overruled his hate, which gave me the hope that a small part of Anakin remained within him, waiting to be resurrected.**

**When my death finally came, I welcomed it, knowing that Anakin would be restored by his son. Luke was so much like his father, yet so little like him. Lord Vader died when Sidious attacked his son, but Anakin never did. The prophesy was true after all: Anakin did bring balance to the Force, from a certain point of view.**

"Obi-Wan wrote this yesterday?" I asked aloud.

"Indeed I did." I stood and turned. Obi-Wan's Force ghost was standing there with a knowing smile. "I waited until you had time and I knew you would return here. I wanted you to know some things, and I had no other way of telling you."

I nodded. "'A certain point of view'?"

"I thought you'd notice that. Anakin did bring balance to the Force. No one at the time of his fall was strong enough to destroy Sidious. Anakin waited patiently as Vader, until Vader snapped and killed Sidious. And the man you met as he died was your father, Anakin," Obi-Wan explained. "You were the reason he returned to his former self, Luke. He loved you very much."

I smiled mischievously. "Siri?"

"Enough explanations. You will be able to read through most of my entries and the oldest is no older than you. I doubt you will find any about **her**." Before I could ask anything more, Obi-Wan promptly disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

Shaking my head, I went back to the list of entries and found the oldest one, dated just after my birth:

**This is a very hard thing to say, but...Anakin is no more. He was seduced by Palpatine to the dark side. He almost killed Padme and his unborn children. He attacked me and I was forced to defend myself. After a long and tiring battle against my brother, I held the high ground on the volcanic world of Mustafar.**

**"It's over, Anakin," I yelled down to him. He was still on a floating piece of equipment centimetres above the lava. "I have the high ground!" His face flickered with a familiar look in his eyes, telling me that he had a crazy idea. **_**No**_**... "Don't try it..." I pleaded with my eyes.**

**Anakin glared back at me. "You underestimate the power of the dark side!"**

**The Force alerted me as he began to jump towards me. Without a split-second to think, my arm swung my saber, almost as though it was acting on its own will. My weapon sliced through three of Anakin's limbs, stopping him in mid-flight. I felt like I was watching someone else attack him. He fell back and landed hard, sliding back towards the magma. His mechanical hand, the only limb he had left, tried desperately to grab hold of something to prevent slipping but there was only brown dirt.**

**Tears fell from my eyes as I realised Anakin was gone. "You were the Chosen One," I tried to talk to Anakin. "You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them. You were to bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness."**

**I wiped at my eyes to see, but I didn't need to see Vader's face to know how anger had twisted it. "I hate you!" he screamed, the words cutting at my heart as though they were blades.**

**I bent down to pick up Anakin's discarded lightsaber and Vader slipped too close to the lava. His clothes caught and his body followed suit. He roared in agony. The fires began to die quickly and I found myself unable to move to help him. I shook my head. "You were my brother, Anakin," I murmured. "I loved you..."**

**His screams died and I turned away, wiping more tears from my eyes. I left him there, dying, and returned to Padme's ship. C-3PO and R2-D2 had already brought Padme back aboard. I pushed Anakin's face out of my mind and took off as stealthily as possible, because another ship was making its final descent. **_**I have to take care of Padme...**_

**When Padme's ship left the atmosphere of that dark planet, I found a homing beacon that belonged to Bail Organa's senatorial ship. It had landed on a part of an asteroid formation nearby. I gratefully set in the coordinates and headed there immediately.**

**I stood from the cockpit and found Padme laying unconscious in a small medical room. Threepio was standing over her. If he could make facial expressions, his face would be distorted with helplessness.**

**"She seems to be stable now, but I fear for her life if we do not attain medical aid soon," Threepio told me.**

**I nodded. "I found Senator Organa's ship. From there, we should be able to help her," I muttered absentmindedly. Here was the woman my brother had loved, and yet unresponsive because of me. What happened afterward was surely my fault...**

**Threepio looked at me. "Sir? I believe we will be approaching Senator Organa's vessel before long. Perhaps it would be best for you to return to the piloting chamber."**

**I nodded and walked out without another word. I switched the flight mode over to manual and opened a channel with Organa's ship.**

**"Master Kenobi?" A small hologram of Organa appeared on one side of me.**

**I nodded. "Senator? I have Senator Amidala aboard, but she is not doing too well. Perhaps any further conversation would be best left until later."**

**Organa nodded. "Of course. The small archaeological government of Polis Massa have granted permission to land immediately."**

**I cut the channel and made preparations to land. Flying a ship like Padme's reminded me of when I was a Padawan with Qui-Gon. He never flew the ship: it was always my job. But I enjoyed it anyway.**

**I landed her skiff on the asteroid called Polis Massa and gently lifted Padme off the bed. Threepio and Artoo followed me down the ramp where Organa and Master Yoda were waiting. Organa's face flickered when he saw Padme's unconscious form.**

**"Take her to the medical center, quickly," were his only words.**

**I was afraid for Padme's life, as I didn't know anything about pregnant women, but I was slightly relieved when Organa mentioned the medical center. There had to be something wrong with Padme: she should have come around once Anakin...****Vader**** stopped choking her.**

**I handed her tenderly to the medical droids and followed Organa and Yoda to the observation room. A painful few minutes later, a droid entered the room.**

**Organa and I stood, but Yoda waited patiently. "Medically, she is completely healthy. For reasons we can't explain, we are losing her."**

**"She's dying?" I was horrified. **_**Padme can't die, not now. Not after...**_

**The medical droid looked at me. "We don't know why. She has lost the will to live."**

_**Of course. Anakin has broken her heart**_**, I thought. I stopped, remembering her unborn child.**

**"We need to operate quickly if we are to save the babies," the medical droid contined.**

**Organa looked at me and then at the droid. I frowned, "Babies?"**

**The droid nodded. "She is carrying twins."**

**Finally Yoda stood. "Save them, we must. They are our last hope."**

**The droid nodded once more and looked back at me. "Are you Obi-Wan, or Anakin?"**

**"Yes, I'm Obi-Wan," I nodded.**

**"Come with us."**

**I looked at Yoda and Organa in puzzlement for a moment, but followed. We entered the operating room and I stood beside her. I held her hand, feeling quite helpless and uncomfortable.**

**The droids began to deliver the first of Padme's children and she stirred. She opened her eyes and looked at me with confusion. Then, she saw the droids and seemed to come to an understanding. "Is it a girl?" she asked quietly.**

**"We don't know yet. Just a minute..." I glanced at the droids.**

**One of them held the child up. "It's a boy." Padme's son had his eyes tightly shut against the bright lights. Padme smiled and reached for him.**

**Her fingers brushed his forehead. "Luke," she whispered.**

**"And a girl." Another droid held up the baby girl. Padme's smile widened when she saw the little girl's wide-open eyes.**

**"Leia," Padme reached out for her. Leia seemed to want to memorize her mother's face, to remember for later.**

**I squeezed her hand lightly. "You have twins, Padme. They need you. Hang on," I pleaded.**

**She slowly shook her head, laying it back on the bed. "I can't," she whispered, her voice diminishing with her strength. She winced and held up a carved piece of wood on a long string, reaching out for my hand.**

**"Save your energy," I tried to tell her, but she held it up again.**

**She shook her head. "Obi-Wan...There **_**is**_** good in him. I know there...is...still..." Her voice faded until it was gone and her hand dropped.**

_**You can't die, Padme**_**...I thought. But she had other ideas. I felt the life leave her body and I bowed my head.**

**Padme was the strongest person I knew and she believed in Anakin right up to her end. I squeezed her hand once more and tears rolled down my face.**

I wasn't entirely prepared to hear the story of my birth and my mother's death, but I needed to know it. She believed my father was still in the monster of Vader even as she died.

I tucked the datapad into my pocket and left the hovel. I climbed onto the speeder I'd rented. Obi-Wan's words echoed in my head as I sped back to my ship.

"_He attacked me...My brother...The Chosen One...Destroy the Sith, not join them...I hate you!...If Threepio could make facial expressions, his face would be distorted with helplessness...afraid...Anakin-Vader choking her...lost the will to live...a boy-Luke...a girl-Leia...You have twins, Padme...They need you...carved piece of wood on a long string..._"

"The japor necklace Anakin gave her when he was nine. It was to bring her good luck and to remind her of him." Obi-Wan's sad voice echoed through my head.

I shook my head. "Why did he willingly fall if he was such a good man?"

"Palpatine." Obi-Wan said the name like a curse. "Anakin had a dream that Padme would die in childbirth and it scared the hell out of him. He consulted Yoda about it, only discussing it vaguely. Yoda gave him the answer he didn't want to hear: he told him to rejoice for those around him that transformed into the Force and to let go of those he was afraid to lose."

I slowed the speeder when I caught sight of my ship. "How did Palpatine..."

"Anakin and Palpatine had become too close for Anakin's good. Palpatine told him an old Sith tale of a man named Plagueis. He enticed him with the power to keep others from death. After Anakin's mother's death, it was the one thing he wanted more than anything: to keep those he loved from dying. The entire Council was suspicious of Palpatine. Anakin seemed to be the only one defending him. During a private meeting with Anakin, Palpatine revealed his true identity and Anakin wanted to kill him, but didn't. Instead, he told a senior Council member, who went with the best fighters of the Order to arrest Palpatine. Anakin interrupted them and killed the Council member after he tried to kill Palpatine. Anakin then ceased to be your father and became the monster Vader," Obi-Wan's explanation was detailed.

I stood out of the speeder and walked up the ramp into my ship. I raised the ramp and sat down. "And then he killed in Palpatine's name." I remembered what began this discussion. "What of the japor necklace?"

"It was the first gift Anakin gave Padme. She was fourteen at the time and she knew that she would never need anything to remind her of him: he was too much a part of her already. He thought that she wouldn't want to wear a wooden pendant carved by a boy because she was so beautiful. I didn't know it at the time, but that was when they fell in love." Obi-Wan's voice was still sad.

"Fourteen?" I was startled by my mother's age.

Obi-Wan laughed. "She was nearer to thirty when mothering you and your sister. There was a considerable gap in their ages, mental as well, but that changed nothing."

I smiled. "How old were you when you met Siri?"

"Never mind, Luke." Obi-Wan's voice became chastising and his presence disappeared and my smile widened. I would get the truth out of him eventually: he could only hide it for so long.


	3. Chapter 3

I prepared my ship to take off. The landing gear tenderly lifted off the ground and I flew it out of the atmosphere. Once in space, I entered in coordinates to the navicomputer and punched into hyperspace. I walked out of the cockpit and sat down at a small table I'd added for extra furniture. I was still curious about the other entries Obi-Wan spoke of, so I pulled the datapad out and opened the next entry.

**Padme was dead. But her twins: Luke and Leia were alive. They needed care. I walked with Senator Organa and Master Yoda down one of the halls of the Senator's ship. Bail led us to his conference room. Like the rest of the ship, the majority of the colour in the room was a shade of white, as were most of the Alderaanian diplomatic vessels.**

**I didn't feel comfortable: I didn't want to be there. But, Yoda and Bail needed me to help make decisions, and so did Anakin's twins. We all sat and I tried to empty my mind of recent events except for Luke and Leia.**

**"To Naboo, send her body," Yoda began softly. "Pregnant, she must still appear." **_**The Emperor will be watching Padme's funeral closely. He knew how close she and the Order were**_**... "Hidden, safe, the children must be kept."**

**Bail and I nodded in agreement. "Someplace the Sith will not sense their presence," I said absentmindedly.**

**"Split up, they should be," Yoda continued.**

**Bail stood. Obviously, he was uncomfortable with sitting and discussing this. "My wife and I will take the girl. We've always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us." He seemed to have a permanently sad look on his face.**

**"What about the boy?" I asked.**

**Yoda mused quickly. "To Tatooine. To his family, send him."**

**I winced, remembering the harsh conditions of the desert planet. It would be a good training planet for a Jedi, but a childhood? Of course, the Hutts would keep their distance from the Empire and not many people went there unless absolutely necessary. "I will take the child there and watch over him." I looked at Yoda uneasily. "Master Yoda, do you think Anakin's twins will be able to defeat Darth Sidious?"**

**"Strong the Force runs, in the Skywalker line. Only hope, we can." He looked up at Bail. "Done then, it is. Until the time is right, disappear we will."**

**Bail nodded and left the room. I stood as well, but Yoda stopped me. "Wait a moment, Master Kenobi."**

**I turned respectfully toward him. "Yes, Master?"**

**"In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you."**

**I frowned. "Training?"**

**"An old friend has learned the path to immortality – your old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn," Yoda smiled.**

**I stood and stared. "Qui-Gon? But-but...how?"**

**"The secrets of the Ancient Order of the Whills, he studied. How to commune with him, I will teach you."**

**I blinked. "I will be able to talk with him?"**

**"How to join the Force, he will train you. Your consciousness you will retain, when one with the Force. Even your physical self, perhaps," Yoda nodded.**

**I felt some of the pain I'd been carrying since that day on Naboo all those years ago lift with Yoda's words. **_**How ironic that we should discover this power now, when the Jedi are no more**_**... I heard the thin wail of an infant down the hall and almost smiled. That cry was the hope for the future and for my brother. That cry was the future of the Jedi Order.**

**Afterwards, Yoda and I watched Padme's funeral from Bail's starship. It was as close as we dared to be, with the Emperor and his new minion watching closely. Padme's family, the current queen, advisors, military, almost all of Theed came out to honour her. She was a unique and life-changing individual.**

**Bail then took off after the funeral, setting his starship on a course to Alderaan. Under the Emperor's nose, two escape pods were flung in opposite directions from Bail's vessel. In one, sat Master Yoda en route to the swampy world of Dagobah to await his last student.**

**In the other, I carried the wailing baby Luke to Tatooine to meet his aunt and uncle. Bail took with him, Padme and Anakin's baby daughter and Luke's sister, and the two droids: C-3P0 and R2-D2.**

**I sold the escape pod to cover my tracks and rented a speeder bike to drive out to the Lars' homestead. Owen Lars was standing on a dune a little way away from the homestead. His wife, Beru walked up the stairs and then saw me. She looked up at me with a confused look.**

**Her mouth opened to ask, but I moved closer and she saw Luke in my arms. Her eyes softened, but the questioning look remained in her eyes. There was no sign of the man Anakin claimed married his mother. I held Luke out for her. "Your nephew, Luke Skywalker."**

**She nodded and took him from my arms. Luke gurgled and looked up at his aunt with a puzzled look. I hid my smile and turned away. She looked back up to ask a question, but I was already walking away.**

**Beru looked back down at the little baby boy in her arms and wiggled her finger over his nose as she walked towards her husband. He looked over at her and at Luke nonchalantly. She said something and he nodded. She moved under his arm and they looked out together over the Dune Sea.**

**I walked back to my speeder bike and climbed on it. I took one last look at Owen, Beru and Luke before I headed off to find my home for the next nineteen years.**

I had no idea my mother had been so charismatic. She must have been a wonderful person to have that kind of support. I sat there for quite a while. Before I knew it, my ship was signalling that I was approaching my destination. I stood and headed to the cockpit. Once again, Obi-Wan's words revisited my mind as I prepared to pull the ship out of hyperspace.

"_Padme was dead...To Naboo, send her body...My wife and I will take the girl...To Tatooine...To his family, send him...A unique and life-changing individual...one escape pod to Dagobah...one to Tatooine...Your nephew, Luke Skywalker...nineteen years..._"

Obi-Wan had watched over me for nineteen years. He lived on that sandbox of a planet to protect me. He endangered his own life for me. Shaking those thoughts from my head, I pulled my ship out of hyperspace.

As I flew into the atmosphere, a few words Obi-Wan once said needled their way into my mind: "You must do what you feel is right, of course." At the time he said it, I thought he was playing the 'disappointed but wise old man' card on me. It was only after his death that I realised they meant so much more...


	4. Chapter 4

I pulled my ship out of hyperspace, still pondering Obi-Wan's words. They seemed so wise, and yet he acted a little childish and immature at times. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Now that I knew my mother's identity for certain, I could find more about her. My ship turned slightly with my small course adjustment to face the emerald planet called Naboo. This was my mother's home. She loved it so much she served it right until her death.

Curious about more, I grabbed Obi-Wan's journal from the other seat and found the next entry.

**Now that Luke was safely in the hands of his aunt and uncle, I had endless time to find a place to live. I couldn't live in the town: it was too far away from the Lars homestead. I needed to keep an eye on Luke. Even so, I could spend a bit of my time in the cantina. Rumour had it that any news on Tatooine comes through there first. I began by exploring around the boundaries of the moisture farm. It took me nearly five hours to find a little abandoned hovel on the southwestern edge of the Dune Sea. It wasn't as close to the farm as I'd hoped, but Owen didn't hide his discomfort with me so near. I didn't need Owen to distrust me. In fact it made things more difficult than they needed to be.**

**It was only one room and a cellar, but it fitted my needs perfectly. I wouldn't be staying there indefinitely, that much I knew. It was lacking in a few key pieces of furniture. I added a large locker to behind some of the...newer furniture. In it, I placed Anakin's lightsaber and everything else from my past. Someday someone else will come across this. They can be sure not to find Anakin's lightsaber or my river stone. They will be removed long before I leave.**

**For a few days now, I've watched over Luke from the boundaries of the moisture farm. I've been quite careful in avoiding Luke's angry uncle. I can tell that Owen wants to suppress whatever part of Anakin is within his son. As I am watching, occasionally Luke will look over at me. We lock eyes, but I am the first to break it. It is still so painful to think about my lost brother.**

**I raised my head from the table. I had a slight headache, but that is to be expected if one suddenly falls asleep while eating at the table. My head had hit the table quite hard. Today when I go into town, I will have to wear my hood...**

**"Still worrying about things that no one else does, I see." I looked around and stopped. Even though Master Yoda had told me this would happen, it was still a little heart-wrenching.**

**I stood. "Master Qui-Gon." I bowed my head respectfully and looked back at him.**

**"Good morning, my former Padawan." Qui-Gon had an amused smile on his face. It faded quickly. "Master Yoda informed me of a few recent events. Mostly that someone had betrayed the Jedi to Chancellor Palpatine, who is actually Darth Sidious."**

**I nodded and sat down. I looked down at my uneaten breakfast. "The Council was right after all. It was too dangerous to train the boy."**

**"Anakin...no..." His eyebrows furrowed as he realised what Anakin had done.**

**I nodded and looked up, tears in my eyes. "Anakin betrayed the Jedi Order for his pregnant wife, Padme."**

**Qui-Gon looked back at me. "Pregnant? Wife? Anakin married the former Queen?"**

**"Yes. Just over ten years after the Battle of Naboo. I am here watching over Anakin's son, Luke. And Senator Organa and his wife are raising Anakin's daughter, Leia." I quickly explained.**

**Qui-Gon staggered into a chair. "This feels familiar. Like when I was wrong about Xanatos." He looked back at me. "What else has happened? I feel as though I've missed a century."**

**"Count Dooku appeared as the head of the Confederacy: an organization of systems that left the Republic. He captured myself, Anakin and Padme on Geonosis. He and the Archduke tried to execute us, but a clone army had been created. Master Yoda had gone to investigate the army and reached Geonosis just in time to rescue the fifty Jedi left out of two hundred that had come to save us." I was speaking, but I wasn't listening to a word I was saying. It was far too painful to let myself think about.**

**Qui-Gon froze as soon as I mentioned his former Master. "Master Dooku is a Sith Lord?"**

**"Darth Tyranus. Also the man that hired a bounty hunter as the base of the clone army. Dooku attempted to escape, but Anakin and I followed him. Anakin wasn't ready and rushed in. For his impatience, Dooku removed part of his arm. Anakin chose later to have a cybernetic arm in its place. But nonetheless, Dooku escaped. He was the first to tell anyone of Darth Sidious. He said that hundreds of Senators were under the influence of Sidious and that the dark side of the Force clouded the our vision. And that Viceroy Nute Gunray once dealt with this Sidious, at the same time as you died and he asked me to join him so we could destroy the Sith. The battle on Geonosis was so climactic that it was deemed the beginning of the Clone Wars. For three years we fought the Confederates and Dooku." I hung my head.**

**Qui-Gon shook his head sadly. "I thought peace would prevail for the Republic. But Master Dooku...a Sith Lord. What else?"**

**"I was given a seat on the Council. A few days ago, Chancellor Palpatine was...kidnapped from Coruscant by the general of the droid army, General Grievous. Anakin, I and our clone squadron were sent to rescue him. In the process, Anakin killed Dooku and we barely made it to Coruscant alive. Grievous escaped, but a day or two later, I tracked him to Utapau and I killed him. My clones fired upon me as some sort of order from the Chancellor himself. The Jedi Order was facing extinction and as far as I know, Master Yoda and I are the only ones left. I know he sent himself into exile on Dagobah until he is needed." I stopped and shook my head. "Everything fell apart within the last three days."**

**Qui-Gon nodded once again. "Amazing how it takes centuries to build the Republic into the democracy we knew so well, and three days to tear it down."**

**I stood and paced around my few pieces of furniture. "And all of it could have been prevented!"**

**"Obi-Wan! Stop." Qui-Gon chided me.**

**I looked at him and stopped.**

**"Do you remember when Tahl was taken by Balog on New Apsolon? How I sat there and repeated actions over and over?" he asked.**

**I nodded. "You would sit and stare at your lightsaber hilt. Sometimes you fiddled with it. And I waited while you gathered your thoughts. I knew what you would do, and I gave you the time that you needed."**

**"And when I spoke?" he prompted.**

**I frowned, wondering why he was going into this after so much time. "You startled me with what you said. You'd never wasted time on what we should have done before. I felt that your line of thought was circling in a pattern that would lead to nowhere and I needed to find a way to make you think...like you. I didn't want to tell you to focus, because it would have felt strange and awkward. But as soon as I noticed your indecision, I used something you'd taught me: **_**if you don't know which way to turn, review what you know**_**."**

**"Yes, and I remember feeling quite impatient with you. I felt that you were telling me things I already knew and that it was a waste of time to talk about it. I wanted so much to get up and rescue her from him. Obi-Wan, I know this is a little irrelevant, but sometimes you just need to review what you know. Even if the Order is no longer, you can still pass along and practise its teachings. A Jedi does not waste time on could-haves, what-ifs or should-haves, as I did. I was emotionally distraught and my love for Tahl was clouding my judgement." He always spoke kindly. I nodded, realising his lesson.**

**I shook my head. "Strange, how even after you're dead, you can still teach me something new."**

**"Well, we learn something new every day. But...I suggest going into town today. Get your mind off blaming yourself. You'll be living here for a long time, and it will do you some good to meet the people you'll spend time with." Qui-Gon smiled and faded.**

**I sighed. Qui-Gon was right. I needed to go for a walk...be with ****people****. I washed my breakfast dishes and walked outside. With the twin suns beating down on me, I walked toward the Lars homestead.**

A beep from my comm console jerked me from the journal. A new transmission was waiting to be received.

I allowed it through.

"Unidentified ship, this is Naboo Space Control. State your business."

I grinned. "Just a little sightseeing, sir. Permission to land peacefully?"

"Granted. Hangar 12."

The comm cut out and I led my ship down toward my mother's jewel.


	5. Chapter 5

Landing on the beautiful world of Naboo in Hangar 12, I walked down the ramp and took in a deep breath. This was the world that my mother had loved with every fibre of her being. So many people here were touched and changed by her. This was the perfect place to get to know her better. I headed out of the hangar and into the city of Theed. I'd made sure to grab my cloak and Obi-Wan's datapad before I left.

I began to walk around the city streets, soaking in a lot of the atmosphere. While the Empire was in power, it was said that much of Naboo's people were in poverty. Of course, I never cared for rumours.

"Excuse me?"

I turned around and saw a beautiful woman. She had copper hair and brown eyes.

"Yes?"

She smiled. "I didn't think it was you at first, but are you Luke Skywalker?"

"Uh...Look, miss"- I began.

She shook her head quickly. "Oh, no. It's not like that. I'm not here as a fan or anything. I'm Senator Pooja Naberrie of the Chommell Sector." She held out a hand.

I smiled and shook her hand. "Pleasure, Senator."

"Well, I was wondering...I spoke with Leia Organa Solo a few weeks ago and she said you were on your way to Tatooine to find out more about your family. I think I can help." She brushed a few hairs out of her eyes.

"You know Leia?" were the first words I could get out. I'd been trying to find out more about my mother, grandparents and family beyond Anakin Skywalker, but so far had hit a dead end.

She grinned. "She said you'd be surprised. Leia and I worked together as Imperial Senators when the Senate was still around. But if you'll come with me..." She turned slightly and tilted her head a little.

"I'd love to, Senator." I followed her along what seemed to be a winding path. She finally stopped at a house with tall front stairs.

"Luke, this is my home. I grew up in this house. My mother grew up in this house and ..." She looked at me. "Your mother grew up in this house."

I looked at her and then back at the house.

"Come on in." She led me up the stairs and through the door. I looked around. "Okay, it's probably changed from when Aunt Padme was here, but it's still the same place. Gran and Pa couldn't bring themselves to change her room, so it's probably still the same."

I looked around, taking in the entire residence, the atmosphere...This was the closest I'd ever been to my mother. Obi-Wan's datapad, which was still in my hand, slipped onto the floor with a small clunk.

Pooja looked at it and picked it up. "What's this?"

"A journal written by an old friend."

She nodded. She handed the datapad back to me. "I guess this makes us cousins, huh?"

I grinned at her. "Exactly. Which one was her room?"

"Up the stairs and around to the right. It looks like a kid's bedroom, but she never really moved out."

I nodded and walked up the stairs, smiling at the feel of the railing. I walked around to the right and into the first room I saw.

It was...unorganized. Things were everywhere. Obviously when my mother was here, she wasn't spending her time organizing her room. I couldn't believe that I was actually there. I walked over to a shelf and picked up a few pictures. One was of a young brunette girl hugging two young Shadda-Bi-Borans. She looked hopeful, but sad, as though she knew something the other two didn't. I looked at another one. She was older now, probably in her late teens. She was sitting on a throne. She was wearing a very regal red gown with her hair put up into a headpiece that was not unlike a crown.

"Didn't I tell you that she was Queen at fourteen?" Obi-Wan's voice interrupted my slight confusion.

I looked over. "Yeah, but..."

"She looks eighteen, doesn't she? At the very least. She was wise far beyond her years. She was elected Princess of Theed at only thirteen."

I looked back at the picture. It was hard to imagine that there was a fourteen year old girl behind that white make-up and that serious look.

"I wish I could have known her."

"I do too, Luke. She was an extraordinary woman. She and your father were quite a pair though. Neither one of them could follow orders to the letter. Ten years after they met, an assassination attempt on her life was made. The Council ordered that Anakin and myself protect her." Obi-Wan sat down as he got into a story-telling mode.

I looked over, feeling quite like a child, listening to his parents tell him the story of how they met for the millionth time.

"When we found a lead to the person behind it, I was ordered to follow it and Anakin was ordered to take her back here to Naboo. Not long after they arrived, Anakin left with Padme for Tatooine. He'd had a few bad dreams of his mother in trouble and Padme forced herself along with him. After his mother died in his arms, I tried to contact him. I got through and asked him to patch my communication to the Council. He did so and as I was giving my report, I was attacked and captured.

"I understand that Master Windu, one of the senior Council members, ordered Anakin to remain on Tatooine to protect Padme. After they finished communications, Padme convinced Anakin that Master Windu specifically ordered Anakin to protect her at all costs and that if he wished to continue to protect her, he'd just have to follow her along to rescue me."

I grinned and Obi-Wan smiled at the memory.

"Shortly after they landed on Geonosis, where I was, they were captured and put out in the execution arena with me. Anakin told me that he'd patched my communication through to the Council...and then they decided to come and rescue me. I couldn't help but find myself disappointed and amused at Anakin's explanation. Suffice it to say, that your parents were kindred spirits. I wouldn't be surprised if you and your sister, or any of your children turn out like that. Especially with two parents like that."

I put the pictures back. I noticed he'd left an opportunity open and I just couldn't let myself let it go. I put on a mischievous smile, which made Obi-Wan narrow his eyes at me. "Were you and Siri kindred spirits?"

"Luke, I told you that I won't tell you about her. I'll leave you to discover your mother." Obi-Wan faded away.

I sighed and looked around. My eyes eventually wandered back to Obi-Wan's datapad. The next entry was already open. I sat myself down on a chair and began to read.

**It turns out Qui-Gon was right. I did need to spend some time around people.**

**When I reached the Lars homestead via speeder, Owen was already out. He was checking the vaporators. He looked up and saw me. He set his jaw and glanced at the house. Luke and Beru were most probably still inside. Owen finished with the vaporator and walked over to me.**

**"What are you doing here, Kenobi?" Owen asked gruffly. His voice made me think of his father. Anakin had told me how Cliegg lost his legs trying to find Shmi.**

**I looked back. "Good morning, Owen. I thought I'd go into town today."**

**"You don't need to go past our land to get there."**

**I frowned. "Is there something wrong, Owen?"**

**"Look, I think I've made it clear that Beru and I don't want you around here. But we can't kick you off the planet, so all I can say is stay away from my land." Owen replied, sticking a newer vaporator into the ground angrily as he spoke.**

**"May I ask why you and your wife don't want me around?" I asked, taken aback by his anger.**

**He sighed. "Look, you took my step-brother away from here and look how he turned out. I don't want you to take my nephew away and have him turn out just like his father. Luke can have a life here, with us. He doesn't need you around, filling his head with ideas about space travel, Jedi and glorious battles."**

**"Owen, I wouldn't fill his head with anything. I'd tell him the truth about his father when he's old enough and let him decide what he wants. But believe me, if he's anything like Anakin was, he won't stay here. Nothing you can do can keep him here." I explained.**

**Owen pulled the vaporator out of the ground. "And you won't be here to tell him that!" He spun on his heel and stomped back to the vaporators.**

**I shook my head. I climbed into my speeder and drove around his land towards Anchorhead.**

**I stopped once I reached the resettled city of Anchorhead. It wasn't really a city, but it was the closest thing to one Tatooine had. I climbed out of my speeder and walked into the cantina. I stood by the bar and looked around. Many different sorts of creatures sat around, drinking, talking.**

**"I ain't never seen one like you round here..." a gruff male voice caught my off guard. I looked over and a man was standing behind the bar, looking at me.**

**I nodded. "I'm new around here. I settled in a little beyond the Lars farm."**

**"Really? I thought that land was Sandpeople territory now," he replied raising an eyebrow.**

**I shook my head. "No, sir. I'm Ben, by the way."**

**He shrugged. "Wuher. I'm one of the bartenders here. You gonna just sit there, or you gonna ask for a drink?"**

**"I think I'll have some...juri juice." I thought about the drinks I'd heard of while travelling as a Jedi.**

**Wuher nodded and moved away to make the drink. I looked around once again. I noticed a group of men sitting not too far away. There was a human, a Wookiee and a Mirialan sitting at that table.**

**"...Did you hear? The Republic's been changed into an Empire." The Mirialan asked, just loud enough for me to hear with Force-enhanced hearing.**

**The human shrugged. "What do we care down here? It's not like the Empire's gonna come looking for trouble in this rotten cesspool."**

**"I don't know. This new Emperor seems pretty cocky. Especially with that tin can for a right-hand man he's got," the Mirialan replied, taking a swig from his drink.**

**The Wookiee looked at him. Tin can? he asked in Shyriiwook.**

**"Yeah, Lord Vayden or something." The Mirialan shrugged.**

**A waitress that had been hovering nearby suddenly stood beside them. "Darth Vader's his name. Y'all need another round?"**

**I froze. **_**He's still alive?**_

**"Hello? Anyone alive in there?" Wuher's voice alerted me to where I was.**

**I turned around. He was holding the drink out. I took it and smiled. "Thank you. Uh, have you heard about this...Lord Vader? Some say he's the new Emperor's puppet."**

**"Yeah. Some people are saying he used to be a Jedi, but that's probably a load of space garbage. He's probably just another assassin that the Emperor can hold in front of him. It's said that he and he alone attacked the Jedi Temple and left unscathed. Of course, how anyone could tell whether he was hurt or not beneath that robotic armor is beyond me," Wuher replied.**

**I put on a fake smile and turned back around. I couldn't believe that my brother was still alive. **_**Tin can...**_**That meant that after I'd left to take Padme to Polis Massa, Sidious must have arrived and kept him alive long enough to fit a suit on him. That was bad news.**

**I needed to get out of there. Despite Qui-Gon's advice about being with other people, I couldn't stay there another second. Not with that kind of news boring into my brain. I drank my juice quickly, dropped a few credits on the counter and left. I climbed into my speeder and moved very quickly to get back to my new home.**

"Everything okay?" Pooja's voice entered my thoughts a few seconds after I finished reading. I looked up.

I smiled. "Yes. I was just reading something." I stood, slipping Obi-Wan's journal into my pocket.

She sighed and looked around. "I never really knew my aunt properly. I wish I could have known her better, if only to be able to tell you more about her. All I know is that she was very passionate about Naboo and the people she loved."

"Thank you, Pooja. This has taken me closer to my mother than anything else or any**one** else has before." I stood, still taking in the atmosphere of the room.

"Well, I'll be downstairs if you need me." Pooja turned and walked back downstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

I looked around the room again, trying to picture my mother living in it: working at the desk; choosing clothes to wear; packing for a trip; brushing her hair... I sat down on the bed, wishing I could have known her, even if only for a few minutes.

I sat there for a few minutes, trying to picture her, trying to feel closer to her. I then stood and walked back downstairs. Pooja was looking around for something. She looked over as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Thank you, Pooja."

She nodded. "No problems. Leia said that you'd be appreciative. I didn't know Aunt Padme too well, but I know she was someone everyone loved."

I nodded. "I'm very grateful to you for allowing me to"-

"Don't be so uptight and formal!" she interrupted, looking a little annoyed. I blinked, not used to being interrupted. "Look, kid, if you want to know about Aunt Padme, ask. If you want to leave, leave. But don't you dare speak to me like a politician."

I blinked again. "Ok. Uh...sorry." I suddenly didn't know how to handle myself. I walked over and pulled a dining chair over to her. "Uh, what can you tell me about my mother?"

She smiled. "Much better. As I've said probably too many times, I didn't know her all that well. But my mother loved her so much. So did Pa and Nan. Um..." Tears began welling in her eyes. "I can tell you about the time she came home before the Clone Wars."

I nodded, feeling like the eager boy listening to an exciting tale.

"Well, my sister, Ryoo, and I were so excited when we saw Aunt Padme down the street. She was with a guy we didn't know, but we didn't really take much notice of him at first. She looked happy though. She was so beautiful, and smart. My grandparents came out and greeted her. Aunt Padme introduced the guy as Anakin Skywalker, her Jedi bodyguard."

My mouth fell open, but I quickly closed it. I couldn't believe that I was hearing, not only about my mother, but my father as well.

"He was kind and cute and he looked kind of awkward being around Aunt Padme's family all at once. Sometimes, though, he just looked at Aunt Padme, or he watched her while she was saying something, and...I don't know, you could just...**tell** that he loved her. After we ate, Anakin took me and my sister outside and he played ball with us." She smiled. "He was fun to be with. He didn't seem like any Jedi I'd met, or any Jedi my mother told me about. I'd always thought Jedi were uptight, formal, seen-but-not-heard warriors. And Anakin was...well, he was the exact opposite."

"_He sometimes blurted his feelings out without thinking. His mother had brought him up to be completely honest with everyone._" Obi-Wan's voice echoed in my head.

Pooja didn't notice though, and she continued. "I also caught Aunt Padme looking at him like that too. But, and even I knew this, he wasn't allowed to have a relationship. I don't think Jedi were even allowed to be in contact with their families."

"_Anakin was different because he'd grown up with a mother, and despite the harsh conditions, he was brought up in a loving and caring environment._"

"Aunt Padme was...determined. Once she made up her mind, nothing anyone could do or say could dissuade her."

"_She was so influential that all of Theed turned out for her funeral. Naboo mourns the loss of one of its greatest._"

Pooja looked at me. "You look a lot like her. And a lot like Anakin too. His eyes, and her smile." She sighed. "I didn't realise that I missed her so much."

"I wish I could have known her."

She nodded. "She tried to see the best in people. She fought courageously for just causes. She was against the Republic's clone army from the beginning." Her eyes drifted up to a chrono on the wall and widened. "Oh, my! I'm so sorry, Luke, but I'm very late for a meeting. Uh, you can stay here as long as you want. I'll be back here in a few hours...I think."

She bit her lip, racing around the room grabbing things. "Uh, thanks, Pooja."

She waved at me as she ran out the door. I looked around, waiting for Obi-Wan.

"You're learning."

I turned to see Obi-Wan standing behind me. "Naboo's greatest?"

He nodded. "Luke, there are not enough adjectives to describe your mother. She was beautiful, kind, dedicated, loving, sweet and sensitive. Yet, at the same time, she was hard, stubborn, mischievous, strong-willed, manipulative and harshly diplomatic."

"She sounds like Leia."

He laughed. "She was. And you, too, are a lot like her. If possible, Padme was even more stubborn than Anakin. They were definitely a match."

"And you?"

He raised an eyebrow, but his face made it seem as though he knew where I was going.

"And Siri?"

"Luke, I will say this once and you are not going to ask me about Siri any more: you are far too much like your father for your own good!" He disappeared.

I chuckled, knowing I would eventually get something out of him. I sat back down and pulled out his datapad.

**I'd since heard about Anakin...Vader's new tactics for keeping the Empire in line. I couldn't believe he had once been that little wide-eyed boy from Tatooine, far too innocent for the world.**

**My brother is finally dead. It's hard to feel anything for who he has become now, except for disgust. I think back to the times I spent with Anakin, and I wonder if there was something I could have done, something I could have said, that would have stopped him from becoming this...this...monster.**

**I try not to listen at the cantina anymore: they talk too casually about him, as though he couldn't possibly affect anything here. Of course, Tatooine probably isn't on the Emperor's list of worlds to conquer, especially with the problems it would cause between his Empire and the Hutts.**

**Wuher hasn't asked me why I come in and just sit there, staring at my drink before leaving, with the drink untouched. He hasn't asked why I order anything when I know I won't drink it anyway. He doesn't even ask me anything about myself.**

**Except for that one time the other day. I'd ordered my usual, a Juri juice, and he had moved off to make it. When he came back and gave it to me, he stood there for a few moments, just looking at me.**

**I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Wuher?"**

"**Ben, you come in here and just sit there. You don't drink anything and you stare at the wall behind me as if it had the answers to everything. I know that something's happened before you got here that is probably worse than anything I can think of, but I don't understand."**

"**You're wondering why I pay for what I don't drink?"**

**He chuckled a little. "Kind of. That, and why you're here, in this..." he struggled for adjectives to describe Tatooine. "...place." He finally gave up.**

"**It's a little bit of a mystery to me as well." I began to continue, but someone a few tables behind me said something that caught my interest.**

"**Yeah, that Emperor...whatever his name is, is sending someone down here to negotiate with the local Hutts. Must be scouting out new territory or something."**

"**Maybe he wants the Hutts as allies. I mean, collectively, the Hutts own probably more than half the crime lords and planets in this part of the galaxy. If that Emperor has them on his side, he can do whatever he wants down here."**

"**True. I heard he was sending his new pet."**

"**What, that big black thing?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Nah, word is he's sending some...troopers or something, with his...'Hand', I think it was."**

**His Hand? This was definitely worth listening to. I glanced at Wuher. "Thanks for the drink, Wuher." I turned around to pretend to stare at the other wall and I heard Wuher move off to another customer.**

"**Who?"**

"**Don't know. Apparently, this Hand is the Emperor's personally-trained assassin or something. Supposed to be the best of the best."**

"**He sounds worse than the black guy."**

"**Yeah. And he's supposed to be really young, like teenager-young too."**

**My eyes widened. Palpatine couldn't have been training a teenager all this time. His time was spent as Chancellor, and I knew for a fact that he didn't have the time. Maybe this 'Hand' was a former Jedi. Definitely something worth checking out.**

**I turned around and waved Wuher over, this time having downed my drink. He saw the empty glass and frowned. "You drunk your drink?"**

"**Yeah." He shrugged and refilled it. "Hey, Wuher, you heard anything about this...'Hand'?"**

**He nodded. "They call him the Emperor's Hand. His personal assassin/bounty hunter/elite commando type. Some people say he used to be a Padawan, but the Emperor trained him for killing and elite missions. Like those missions those Clone commandos used to go on before the Empire came around."**

**I was slightly curious as to how Wuher came to know about those missions, but I pushed it aside. "Is it true that he's...young?"**

"**Yeah, I think so. From what I've heard, he's young enough to be the Emperor's great-grandson."**

**I nodded. I knew enough about younglings to know one should never underestimate them, but I didn't think this Hand would be much of a problem.**

**I downed the rest of my drink and handed the glass back to Wuher, thanking him and paying him. He watched me with a surprised look as I walked out and back to my little hovel**

I frowned. Either Obi-Wan simply forgot the period, or the entry was unfinished.

"I must have forgotten to put it back."

I looked up. "Put what back?"

"The period. I edited it while you were talking to Pooja."

I narrowed my eyes. "What did you edit out?"

He shook his head. "I had to put up with this sort of thing from Anakin. I'm much harder to break than you think, Luke."

I looked back at the datapad and started pressing buttons. Obi-Wan frowned and looked at me.

"What are you doing?"

"Retrieving the deleted data." I grinned.


	7. Chapter 7

"What?!" Obi-Wan raised his voice.

I just kept grinning and pulling the deleted data out of the datapad.

**I downed the rest of my drink and handed the glass back to Wuher, thanking him and paying him. He watched me with a surprised look as I walked out and back to my little hovel.**

**I don't know why hearing about this Hand reminded me of Siri. He just did. After all, Siri was young, ambitious and extremely good at what she did…**

**No matter how I think of her, I wonder what would have happened if we hadn't been so attached to the Jedi…if we'd left and lived a life together. Would we have had children? Would we have had grandchildren? Would we have gotten married? So many questions and no answers.**

**I know I loved her. I know she loved me. But ultimately, our lives as Jedi outweighed the things we wanted together, the **_**life**_**we wanted together.**

**I sat down and buried my head in my hands, imagining for a moment that Siri was with me. I'd long since accepted her death, but not the part of her being gone. I wished for the longest time that she could be alive again, and by my side. I wanted to hold her one more time, kiss her, tell her I love her.**

**Maybe having Siri made me understand Anakin better than I could ever have without having loved. Imagining Siri was with me helped me so many times. Before she died, I didn't need to. I knew she would eventually return to me. Now...she'll never come home. She'll never tease me about the time I had to wear a purple feather coat. She'll never flirt with someone and creep me out. She'll never kick my ass and help me up afterward. We'll never have those times we once had again.**

My grin disappeared as I read. I had no idea Obi-Wan was this haunted by Siri's death. Even though I'd never known him before she died, and I'd never known her. I looked up at him.

"Don't give me that look, Luke." Obi-Wan sounded bitter and tired. "You don't have any idea what it's like and don't try to console me."

I nodded. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan."

"Oh, you had to." He groaned. He then turned slightly away from me. "Will **you** stay out of this?! It's no longer any of your concern! I'm not your Padawan! Oh, for the love of-" He disappeared.

I frowned, but dismissed it. If Obi-Wan wanted me to know, he would tell me when he was ready. I looked back down at the datapad and opened up the next entry.


	8. Chapter 8

I couldn't believe I'd been searching for so long for my parents and I was so close. Both of them were dead and I never knew them.

My comlink beeped again, this time with a message. I looked at it and smiled. Artoo was trying to get into the house, but was having trouble with the stairs.

I stood and walked through the front door and frowned. Artoo was nowhere to be seen. I went to go back inside, but something on the ground caught my eye. I leaned down and picked it up. It had paper inside it, but was covered by a hard cardboard-like surface.

"_Padme: Beautiful, young and devoted_." I read the words on the front aloud. I walked back inside, looking at this...thing.

_Wasn't my mother's name Padme?_ I wondered, pushing the cover to one side to open the…object.

_Padme Naberrie, as she was born, was a beautiful Nubian woman. Even from her young life, she was charismatic. She may have died a Skywalker, but she'll always be the youngest daughter of Jobal and Ruwee Naberrie._

_Service to her planet kept her there for her term as Princess of Theed, and then as Queen of Naboo. But good things never last, and she finished her term as Queen. Her successor, recognising her devotion to Naboo and her love for her people, asked that she stay on as Senator of the planetary sector, Chommell._

_It was during this time that she fell in love with and wedded Anakin Skywalker in secret. However, in all the planets she visited, in all the diplomatic negotiations she endured, in all the speeches and cries for justice, Padme never lost that which made her Nubian._

_Despite her skill with a blaster, and later more civilised weapons, Padme was a peaceful woman. She fought for peace and justice with her entire being. Everything she put herself into, every address she made, every arbitration she entered into, everything in her life, she put three hundred percent of herself into._

_In short, Padme was a charismatic and beautiful woman with the heart of...well, for want of a better cliché, a lion._

I blinked and sat back down.

"Every word of that book is true."

I jumped and looked up. "Obi-Wan..." So many questions raced through my mind, it was hard to single any out.

"Give me my datapad." Obi-Wan held out his hand.

Frowning, I obeyed, pulling it out of my pocket.

He pressed a few buttons and handed it back. "That journal was a gift to me. On my second birthday, my parents gave it to me. It was the last gift I received from them. It laid in my room in the Temple, forgotten, until I was about eighteen. I began writing in it then and I haven't stopped since."

He gestured at it. "That's the entry I wrote after I met your mother." He gave me a sad smile and disappeared.

I looked down at the datapad, and then at the...book. I set the book down and opened up the entry Obi-Wan pulled out of the recycler.

**Master Qui-Gon insists on bringing these pathetic life-forms everywhere we go. First the Gungan who was banished from his people, and now the Queen of this planet and her handmaidens.**

**This queen...she is a puzzle, not only to me, but to Qui-Gon as well. At times, she is as one would expect: kind, generous, selfless and in control. But there are often times when the unexpected happens and she subtly turns to her handmaidens. Something here is not what it seems.**

**Escaping Naboo was not easy. We had to get past the Federation's blockade. But one of the little astromech droids saved us. The little blue droid managed to bring back our shields and weapons to full power from almost irreparable. The Queen was informed, and she asked one of her handmaidens to take care of it. She said it deserved our gratitude. She was right.**

**The handmaiden she asked to clean it was strangely also the one that seemed to convince her back on Naboo to come with us to Coruscant. She didn't speak unless it was to the Queen, and that was rare. Despite this, I could sense that she wanted to say more, almost as though her position was far more important than any of us realised.**

**As Qui-Gon has suggested, I should keep my focus on the now, rather than what is to come. This mission has taints and confusing situations written all over it. First of all, why would the Federation even try this invasion? It is not within their logic to do so. They risk losing their trade license and their entire corporation on this reckless attempt.**

**How were they able to create that many battle droids? Enough to control the entire population of Naboo. It is...inconceivable. My instinct is that they must be working with or for someone else, whether that be one person or a conglomerate large enough to fuel this operation.**

**That handmaiden still makes me think. And the age of her queen...she is only fourteen. She is younger than me! And the population of Naboo has put their entire planet in her hands?**

**I decided to take a walk around the ship and get my bearings. It was apparently the Queen's personal starship. I didn't get the feeling that they used it much, especially for space travel. Its shields were less than par, it had little to no weapons, and it was so obviously designed for luxury.**

**I'd left Qui-Gon's latest project, the Gungan called Jar Jar, in the astromech compartment last time I'd checked, so I went there first. I opened the door and Jar Jar stood. I hesitated when I saw that handmaiden sitting next to the blue astromech, Artoo-Detoo.**

"**Sorry, Jar Jar."**

**He nodded. "Disen okey-day. Obi, meet Padme."**

**He gestured at the girl. I nodded. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."**

**She looked up at me. "My pleasure, Master Jedi. I am Padme, handmaiden to Queen Amidala."**

**I frowned a little: she was lying. But I let it go. "I am not a Jedi Master yet."**

"**Oh. What are you, then?"**

**I wasn't used to girls like her. I only knew one girl well back at the Temple, and she was a Mon Calamari. "Uh, I'm a Jedi Padawan."**

"**I see." She turned back to the droid. "This little guy saved our lives." She smiled and continued cleaning it.**

**I nodded. "Jar Jar, are you staying in here for a reason?"**

"**Uh...no?"**

**I smiled. "Right. It's a pleasure to meet you, Padme. And Jar Jar? Stay here, out of trouble." I turned and walked out.**

**What was she lying about? Her name? That wasn't likely. There weren't many people that were embarrassed by their names enough to change it. Could she not be a handmaiden? That was also unlikely. The queen hadn't been in her position long, but she would have known if there was something wrong with one of her handmaidens.**

**All I do know is that she is very strange. But surprisingly beautiful.**

I looked back at Obi-Wan, who was smiling.

"Padme was the queen, I just didn't know it. The one posing as Queen Amidala was her handmaiden, a woman named Sabé." Obi-Wan gathered his robe about him.

I nodded, handing the datapad back. "Sabe checked with Padme about things, to keep her guise up."

"And to make sure she was doing things the way Padme would. Using Sabe like that wasn't actually Padme's idea. It was her chief-of-security's. She hated the idea of hiding. Even ten years later, she loathed that Palpatine sent her and Anakin back to Naboo when attempts were made on her life. But, that's a story for another time. Don't you have things to do?" Obi-Wan looked directly at me.

"Not at all. I've dedicated the next few weeks to finding out as much as I can about my parents. For Leia's sake, as well as my own. She may have grown up with Senator Organa and his wife, but she deserves to know her parents."

He nodded. "Noble. Here. I don't have need of it anymore." He handed the datapad back.

I looked through the entries. "Is there anything more about Siri?" A mischievous smile crept across my face.

I looked up when he didn't answer and saw he was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Artoo came in, whistling and beeping. I looked at him with a smile. "Hey, Artoo. How'd you manage those stairs."

He simply beeped, irritated, at me. I rifled through the entries in Obi-Wan's datapad, searching for anything more on my mother.

**I was right. That handmaiden, the one called Padme, wasn't as she seemed. We returned to Naboo, and when we found the Gungans, she interrupted the queen.**

**Amidala was speaking to the Gungan leader, Boss Nass, but anyone could tell he wasn't interested.**

"**I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo. I come before you in peace." She wasn't convincing enough, even to me.**

**Boss Nass narrowed his eyes. "Naboo biggen. Yousa bringen da Mackineeks. Dya busten uss-en omm. Yousa ALL bombad. Yousa all die'n, mesa tink." He wasn't convinced, and he knew that the Naboo people weren't on good terms with the Gungans.**

"**We wish to form an alliance"- Amidala began again, attempting to coerce him.**

**Before she could, the handmaiden called Padme stepped forward. Everyone, not including Amidala, the handmaidens and Panaka, seemed surprised. Although, Panaka seemed as though he disapproved.**

"**Your honour," Padme began, bowing slightly and briefly to show her respect for the Gungan.**

"**Whosa dis?" Boss Nass asked Amidala, turning away from the handmaiden.**

**Amidala remained silent, watching Padme, causing Boss Nass' gaze to return to the young woman before him. Padme stood erect regally. "****I**** am Queen Amidala of the Naboo."**

**Just about everyone's eyes, apart from mine and Qui-Gon's bugged out of their heads. Anakin was…to say the least, shocked.**

**Padme gestured at the woman adorned in regal clothes. "This is my decoy, my protection. My loyal bodyguard."**

**Qui-Gon and I shared a look. Neither of us saw this coming completely, but we had a sense she was not what she seemed to be.**

"**I am sorry for my deception, but under the circumstances, it has become necessary to protect myself." Padme was definitely not just a handmaiden. Where Amidala, or whatever her name was, failed to act as she should, Padme excelled. "Although we do not always agree, Your Honour, our two great societies have always lived in peace…until now."**

**Even I had to admit: this woman was intoxicating, proud, regal and very persuasive.**

"**The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. You are in hiding, my people in camps. If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever. I ask you to help us…" she suddenly had a change of thought. "No, I beg you to help us."**

**She dropped to her knees, earning a surprised gasp from Panaka, his men and her handmaidens. When it finally seemed to them as though she were serious, they slowly followed suit. Anakin did so as well, and afterwards, as did Qui-Gon and myself.**

**I found myself watching Padme with a new interest. She was…charismatic, beautiful, proud and especially humble.**

**The Gungans around us seemed confused and puzzled by the Naboo people bowing to them, especially the Jedi. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Boss Nass began to laugh.**

"**Yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans?" He considered briefly. "Mesa like dis. Maybe…wesa…bein friends." He nodded respectfully to Padme, or I should say Queen Amidala.**

**Amidala stood, as did the others. She smiled, glad that her speech helped bring the societies together when they needed it. She turned to us, momentarily taking in Anakin's shocked expression.**

**She turned back to Boss Nass. "Then we have a lot to accomplish in very little time."**

**They both nodded.**

**This young woman of only fourteen was so much more than anything else I'd ever seen. I was astonished to see how quickly she brought things together when it almost seemed hopeless. **_**Expect the unexpected**_**, as Qui-Gon used to tell me.**

I smiled.

[Sorry guys, but until further notice, this is where Obi-Wan's Journal and Luke's discovery of his family ends. I've loved writing from Obi-Wan's point of view, and I've liked writing from Luke's, but I can't keep up Luke's part. I'll keep doing more of Obi-Wan (mostly cause I LOVE his character) Something about him just calls to me. But I've got a few more things to post, so keep an eye on my profile :)]


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